Sales of LED lights surge fourfold in first 9 months

TAIPEI--Sales of energy efficient LED light bulbs in Taiwan in the first nine months of the year increased nearly fourfold from a year earlier, according to a report released yesterday by the local branch of market research firm GfK Group.

GfK Taiwan said consumers spent NT$990 million (US$33.8 million) on 3.5 million LED light bulbs and tubes during the January September period in Taiwan, just under a quarter of the NT$4.1 billion spent on all light bulbs and tubes domestically at the retail level.

In the same period in 2011, Taiwanese consumers bought 900,000 LED bulbs worth NT$250 million, GfK Taiwan said.

Christine Huang, a senior analyst at GfK Taiwan, attributed the surge in sales of LED bulbs and tubes mainly to government support, such as energy subsidies.